Lubricating system



Patented 21, 19:s3.

,UNITED STATES A1 A'1F.1\Vl" orales Y Gnomz x. RUSSELL, or wurm mssacnusm'rs- Lunnrcnrme sysm Application led Iarch 18, 14930. Serial No. 486,736.`

This invention relates to lubricating sysing iuid, preferably a lubricating oil, tojoptems for use with apparatus having power cylinders operated by a. non-compressible luid such as oil, and also to means f or removing air from such cylinders. s

As air pockets are frequently formed in hydraulically operated cylinders While the latter are not operating, it is customary when such cylinders are operated after an idle period to blow out the air on the rst stroke of the piston or to provide for performing this function automatically. i Moreover, apparatus of this character usually includes many parts which require lubricant in different quantities and/or under different pressures. Heretofore the removal of air from the cylinders and the lubrication of the various parts have been treated as functions to be performed independently. l

Objects of this invention are to utilize'the pressure in a hydraulic power cylinder for supplying lubricant to various parts of a machine; to provide for removing air from a hydraulic cylinder through a lubricating system, and for delivering pressure luid from the cylinder to the lubricating system; and

also to provide apparatus of this character having an improved construction and ar' ran ement ofA arts.

T e single ligure in the drawing is' a longitudinal section taken through main and auxiliary power cylinders of a broaching mac e.

For the purposes of illustration the features of this invention are shown as applied to an hydraulically operated broaching machine of the type disclosed in my' cogiending applications Serial N o. 433,490 and erial No. 433,491, both filed March 5, 1930, to which reference may be had for a moregeneral statement of the purposes and mode of operationof such a machine. The ortion of the broaching machine shown int e drawing is representativeof a large class of machines, operated by hydraulic power, towhlch this invention may be applied. Thls machine comprises a bed-'plate 10 which carries the heads 11 and12 for a main power cylinder 13.` These heads are provided with ports 14 and 16 for admitting and discharging an operaterate the piston 17 which is dis osed withln the cylinder. The iston ro 18 extends through suitable pac 'ng 19 in the head 11 for transmitting power to the broaching apparatus (not shown) during the working or broaching stroke and also for return'l a stock carrier (not shown) after the working stroke `has been completed.

An auxiliary cylinder 21 is fitted with a -piston 22 and is provided with ports 23 and 24 for admitting pressure fluid to reciprocate the piston. This piston carries a rod 26 which extends through a suitable packin 27 in the end of the cylinder and is connecte to a memy ber 28 for operating an auxiliary of the machine, as for .operating a pilot (not shown m a broaching machine of the type disclose my aforesaid applications.

Capillary tubes 31 are connected to the ends of the main cylinder 13 and throu h a connection 32 to a Aclosed pressure tan like manner capillary tubes 34 are connected to'the-ends'of the auxiliary c linder A21 and through a connection 36 to t e closed pressure tank 33. A connection 37 extends be-l It will be understood that each of the tubes may extend to one ormore parts requiring lubrication, as is the usual practice in s stems of this kind. Each of the tubes 41 1s provided with a sight gauge 42 and a manually controlled valve 43 for regulating the lo'w' The tank 33 is ,also equipped with a gauge 44 to indicate the `9 llevel of liquid in the tank. The overow through these connections.

tank 38'ma also be employed for maintaining the deslred head of fluid on a reversible .flow pump (not shown) which supplies res-` sure fluid for operating the main d) the` auxiliary cylinders.

ermit ow Lacasse After one of the cylinders, as the main cylpassing from the tank to the cylinder during inder 13, has remained idle for a riod of non-working periods and to provide for retime, it is quite probable that air poc ets may be formed within the cylinder, or the pressure fluid delivered to the cylinder to operate the piston may contain air which should be re' moved to assure eiicient opgeration of the a paratus. During the wor ing stroke of e iston 17 such air contained in the operating uid willr be forced through the capillary tubes '31 as the piston approaches the end of the cylinder, and on repeated operation of the piston the air passing into the capillary tubes will eventually be egected through the tube 32 into the closed tank 33 from whence it may escape through the relief valve 39 into the open tank 38. The tubes 31 or at least the cylinder ends of these tubes havea very small inside diameter and therefore oder a lar e resistance to passage of the operating lui hence these tubes tend to remain filled with this fluid while the piston is not operatingo Moreover, during o eration of the piston, operating fluid wil be continuall forc through these tubes into the close tank 33, thereby building up a pressure in this tanku This ressure is augmented by fluid supplied in a ike manner through the connection 36 from the auxiliary cylinder 21, and sit-will also be clear that air will be dis laced from the auxiliary cylinder through t e capillary tubes 34 and the connection 36 to the pressure tank 33in the same manner as described with reference to the main cylinder. In this way any desired pressure can be built up in the closed tank 33, and this pressure may then be utilized for forcing oil through the tubes 41 to various parts requiring lubrication, the

u "0 low to each of the parts being controlled by the regulating valves 43. Should the pressure atan time become excessive in the tank 33 the re ief valve 39 will open and relieve this pressure to the open tank 33..` In the event that a greater pressure is desired in the closed tank 33 than can be developed by deliverin iiuid through the capillary tube 3l, it will e seen that this pressure can be rovided by increasing the number of such tu es without increasing their sectional flow area. When used with lubricating oil suitable for machines of this character, the tubes 31 and 34 should have an internal diameter of ap= proximately .0010 to .0015 of an inch.

I claim:

l. The combination with a fluid motor of the kind utilizing a relatively ncnfccrnpressible working duid and comprising a cyiinder and a piston therein, oi a pressure tank for supplying lubricant to a iubricating system and a tube extending between the cylinder Aand the tank for' conductin iiuid from the c linder to the pressure tank, at ieast a per tion of the tube bein capillary te the working Huid, whereby t e tube may be eective for sealing the cylinder te prevent air from moval of air from the cylinder during work- Y ing strokes of the piston.

2. The combination with the kindfutilizin A'ble working fluid and a piston therein,

a fluid motor of and comprising a cylinder of a pressure tank for supplying lubricant to a lubricatn system and connections from the ends of tiiey cylinder to the pressure tank for conducting iuid from the cylinder to the pressure tank, each of these connections having at least a portion thereof capillary to the working fluid, whereby the connections may be eiiective forsealing the cylinder to prevent air from passing from the tank to the cylinder during nonworking eriods and to rovide for removal of air f om the cylin erv during working strokes ofthe piston.

3. The combination with a fluid motor of the kind utilizing a relatively non-,compressible working yuid and comprising a cylinder ressure tank,

a relatively non-compress1- sure tan during operation of the piston, each of these passages having a portion thereof capillary to the working fluid to provide for sealing the passages during non-working periods and also to provide for removal of working iluid and gas during working strokes of the piston, a number of tubes for conducting fluid from the pressure tank to parts to be lubricated, and means for controlling the ow through the tubes.

ll.I The combination with afluid motor of the kind utilizing a relatively non-compressible working luid and comprising a cylinder and a piston therein, of a pressure tank, means providing passages for conducting .workin fluid from the cylinder to the pressure tan during operation of the piston, each' of these passages having a portion thereof capillary to the working iuid to provide for sealing the passages during non-Working periods and also to provide for removal of working fluid and gas during working strokes of the piston, means providing a plurality of passages for conducting fluid from the pressure tank to parts to be lubricated, an openl tank, a connection between the pressure tank and the opentank, and a relief valve in said connection for relieving'excessive rassure in the pressure tank.

5. 11 an apparatus comprising main and auxiliary power cylinders of the kind using a relatively non-compressible iluid, and a piston in each cylinder, closed pressure tank,

to the working Hui to provide for sealing the passages during non-working periods and als@ to provide for removal bf working iiuid 1i lll GEORGE .J RUSSELL. v 

